The Reaction Between N-Substituted Phthalimides and Primary Amines

Abstract

WE have shown that treatment of phthalimide with a primary aliphatic amine such as methylamine gives NN-dimethylphthalamide in high yield1. The controlling step in the reaction sequence was found to be the remarkable ease of conversion of N-methylphthal-amide into N-methylphthalimide, which occurs rapidly and quantitatively on shaking with water at room temperature. In view of the recent communication of H. J. Barber and W. R. Wragg2, we now record some observations made in a continuation of our previous work.